2023-12-08 11:15:58 ¶ ●

my roman empire is Will only genuinely laughing in Hannibal’s company when, first, Hannibal says he believes Jack is treating him like he is a fragile little teacup (WHICH IS TRUE AND I KNOW WILL FELT VALIDATED AND EQUALLY ABSURD ABOUT IT HENCE THE SUDDEN LAUGHTER) and second, when Hannibal says Will can connect minds like the mushroom killer was attempting to accomplish (In this case, I think Will felt self-conscious) MEANWHILE with Peter, Will laughs so easily and naturally without any effort from Peter AND I MUST SAY that Hannibal does not bring out and cannot cater to the giddier aspects of Will’s personality. It is so atypical to not have joy as the focal point of an intimate relationship and I love it so much because Will and Hannibal are both such incredibly emotionally intelligent people and they need more than the typical to feel satisfied within the company of another. They need to feel everything their brains can conjure, they’re fed by the good, the bad, the creepy, the mysterious and the otherworldly, beyond the visible universe. They need to feel alive whilst straying from the well-worn path. It really is like two chess players meeting by chance in a world that vastly doesn’t understand chess.